THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Talkin' baseball, golf and Blake

There’s a team in our region whose pitching staff has evolved to the point where, if they get to the postseason, they could be dangerous.

And no, we’re not talking about the Seattle Mariners.

The Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen “AA” team just finished a 7-0 run to the championship in the Senior Division of the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Wood Bat Classic.

And only needed eight pitchers in those seven games.

“We had seven starters, and got seven victories,” Lums coach Darren Taylor said. “I don’t know if that’s ever been done before.”

Cooper Erickson, Owen Benson, Jayden Butler, AJ Currie, Ryan Schneider and Troy Shepard pitched complete games for Coeur d’Alene (24-7). Jesse Brown went five innings in his start, and Eric Bumbaugh pitched the final two.

Lums pitching allowed just 11 runs in those seven games, with Butler and Schneider throwing shutouts.

With that type of pitching depth, it’s no coincidence the Lums have won three of the four tournaments they've played in — and reached the semifinals in the one they didn’t win.

As there are only two “AA” teams in the North Idaho League, Coeur d’Alene is already guaranteed a berth in the state tournament starting in a couple of weeks in Nampa. The Lums and Lewis-Clark Twins will play a best-of-3 series next weekend to determine seeding from Area A to state.

The “AA” team isn’t the only Coeur d’Alene squad having a nice summer.

The Lums “A”/17U team is 32-4-1, and just won the Junior Division at the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Wood Bat Tournament.

The Lums “A”/16U team is 24-9-1.

Both Lums “A” teams will play in the Washington “AA” districts in Spokane starting July 13. (Washington’s Legion is “AAA”, “AA” and “A”.) State is in Selah, Wash., where Coeur d’Alene is defending champion.

The Lums 14U team finished its season 25-11-2.

WITH 5A and 4A golf moving to the fall in Idaho starting this year, the season starts EARLY, as state golf is scheduled for Oct. 7-8 — a Friday and Saturday, as opposed to a Monday and Tuesday when it is in the spring.

It’s two weeks before state soccer, three weeks before state volleyball.

The first tournament of the fall is Aug. 15, the Moscow Invitational.

But at least the kids don’t have to turn out two weeks before the first match. The first day of golf practice is Thursday, Aug. 11 — three days after the first practice in football, volleyball, soccer and swimming.

Golf kids don’t have to have 10 practices in before their first match, as is the case in other sports. Which makes sense, since in theory, they will have been “practicing” all summer.

JUST BECAUSE …

Here’s what Paul Biancardi, the national recruiting director for ESPN, said about Blake Buchanan, the rising Lake City High senior, who recently gave a verbal commitment to play basketball at Virginia in 2023, after evaluating him at the Top 100 Camp last week in Orlando, Fla.:

“He plays with a strong base, runs well and rebounds with two hands. Provides a physical post presence & blocks shots. Soft hands to catch and finish. Short face-up jumper. Productive.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.